Late Solitary Cerebral Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma 10 Years after Nephrectomy

ABSTRACT

We report a case of solitary brain metastasis from renal cell carcinoma 10 years after nephrectomy. A 71-year-old woman developed sudden onset of headache, dysarthria, gait disturbance and right hemiparesis. She previously had undergone a left nephrectomy due to renal cell carcinoma 10 years ago. A brain magnetic resonance image revealed a well defined round mass with massive peritumoral edema in the left occipital area, which was surgically removed completely. Microscopic appearances of the brain tumor were similar to those of the renal cell carcinoma or hemangioblastoma. Positive immunoreaction for epithelial membrane antigen and cytokeratin confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. In a review of the literature, ten cases of solitary brain metastasis of renal cell carcinoma with a latency period of more than 10 years after nephrectomy have been reported.